BayWolf in Oakland: Food to Howl About!

BayWolf Restaurant in Oakland is why I personally eat out. Inventive, creative and very different food is the only reason, I believe, to go to restaurants. Without sounding snobby, I can honestly say that my fiancée and I are fairly decent cooks. If we want to eat something that we know how to make, we can stay home and cook it.

We’re not wealthy, so cooking and eating at home is attractive to both our palates and our wallets. We have a lot of high-end (and high-priced) grocery stores in San Francisco, so we can get anything we want to take home and prepare. Even if we go to Whole Paycheck, it’s still more affordable than going to a restaurant. Sure, you have to wash the dishes when you eat at home, but you also don’t have to tip anybody.

So, when we do decide to go out and eat, we want to try something distinctive that we can’t get at home. We want to sample new foods, flavors or textures. We want to experience unique and different cooking techniques and taste combinations.

That’s why BayWolf is very high on our list. It’s one of the most imaginative places in the Bay Area. Founding Owner Michael Wild says that “little things make a large difference in a small restaurant. We agonize over small details and play with them endlessly, tweaking as we go, discussing the niceties of the particulars inherent in getting it right.”

Wild’s main inspiration is Elizabeth David. “Her books are pressed on every one of our kitchen staff. We expect them to embrace her injunction to cook with care and skill, regard for the quality of the materials, without extravagance and pretension.” I think that says it all. The people at BayWolf make food to impress themselves and no one else. They aren’t trying to show off tricks they learned in culinary school. And the end result is pure magnificence.

Wild (who is also the executive chef) and Chef de Cuisine Louis de Gassic offer a new menu with a different theme every month, celebrating the season’s prime ingredients and regional cuisines of the Mediterranean. For instance, May is “andiamo in Italia” month, featuring primarily Italian dishes; and June is “Back to Burgundy” month.

One thing that’s always on the menu is the famous BayWolf locally raised duck. This place does things with duck that no other restaurant can. They know duck! When we ate at BayWolf recently, we had the Liberty Ranch Duck Breast with grilled asparagus and a balsamic vinegar glaze ($25). Duck is a tricky bird to make right, and this breast was so right it made me cry (privately.) Moist inside with crispy skin, the glaze accentuated the deep, rich flavors of the duck in a way I’d not experienced before. This little quacker did not die in vain. We also had a Duck Liver Flan with pickled onions, cornichons and olives ($12.50) that was incredible.

Other items we sampled included the Seared Tuna-Stuffed Calamari with curly cress and pimenton vinaigrette ($11.25); and a Grilled Adriatic Ling Cod with duck fat fries, roasted green beans and salsa verde ($22). Who does ling cod anymore? Unbelievable.
Signature side dishes are also well-known at BayWolf. Other than the duck fat fries, I can also heartily recommend the lemon mashed potatoes and the garlic spinach.

One dessert that really stood out was Rose-scented Parfait – a rice pudding with mango confit and candied pistachios ($8.50).

BayWolf is located at 3853 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. The place is hopping, so reservations are always suggested. Their phone number is: (510 655-6004.

Go to BayWolf once and you’ll be howling for more even before you hit the door.

What Gas Boycott?

Supposedly there was a big nationwide gas boycott yesterday. The only problem is that no one noticed. If people need gas, they will buy it. Some dumb boycott is not going to do anything. If folks really care, they'll get out of their cars and start walking, riding bicycles and/or using public transportation. When will that happen? Not any time soon!

Haters on the Highway: Road Rage in the U.S.

I have always thought that San Francisco must be one of the worst road rage cities in the U.S., but I guess this study proves it’s no worse than a lot of other places. Drivers in SF are some of the biggest a-holes I’ve seen anywhere and the overall attitude is one of total hatred for the individual in the other vehicle. Obviously road rage is a MAJOR problem in this country, primarily because people only care about themselves. We live in a very selfish “Me! Me!” society and road rage is a byproduct of that.

I found this study to be very interesting:

In The Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that the least courteous city in the country is Miami, followed by Phoenix and New York. The other two cities in the bottom five were Los Angeles and Boston. The most courteous city is Minneapolis, followed closely by Nashville, Tenn., St. Louis, Seattle and Atlanta.
The In The Driver's Seat 2006 AutoVantage Road Rage Survey was conducted to determine the driving habits and attitudes of commuters across the U.S. and to learn more about consumer views on the topic of Road Rage.
"Road rage has unfortunately too often become a way of life, both on and off the track," said NASCAR driving legend and AutoVantage spokesman Bobby Hamilton. "More and more, in cities across America, people are acting out their frustrations with dangerous results. It's bad for professional and everyday drivers alike.
"Our new Road Rage survey shines the light on emerging driving trends, and there are some very interesting results."
The survey's best and worst are:

Least Courteous Cities (Worst Road Rage):
-- Miami
-- Phoenix
-- New York
-- Los Angeles
-- Boston

Most Courteous Cities (Least Road Rage):
-- Minneapolis
-- Nashville
-- St. Louis
-- Seattle
-- Atlanta
Other cities surveyed include Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington/Baltimore.
"This new study focuses on important attitudes and habits of drivers on the open road nationwide," said Brad Eggleston, vice president of AutoVantage. "This groundbreaking research is an important tool to help educate and influence safer driving habits throughout the United States."
When asked the major causes of road rage in the survey, the most frequent theme was people being in a hurry, running late, being impatient and/or speeding.
-- "They are in a rush to get somewhere"
-- "People leaving too late and being in a hurry"
-- "People not going by the speed limit"
American drivers also feel that stress, frustration, bad moods, and being generally aggressive contribute to the widespread phenomenon of road rage.
-- "People being stressed out"
-- "People cut you off and do not signal"
-- "They think the road belongs to them"
Behaviors by other drivers that cause stress for commuters, and which can lead to road rage, include:
-- Driving too fast (57 percent observe this happening every day)
-- Tailgating (50 percent see this every day)
-- Cutting over without notice (44 percent see this every day)

Commuters also reported that other drivers frequently:
-- Talk on their cell phones (98 percent observe this at least once a
week)
-- Run red lights (59 percent observe this at least once a week)
-- Slam on the brakes (54 percent see this happening at least once a week)
As a reaction to rude or bad driving by others, people surveyed reported that they:
-- Honked their horn at the offending driver (40 percent)
-- Cursed at the other driver (32 percent)
-- Waved their fist or arms (9 percent)
-- Made an obscene gesture (8 percent)
-- Called the police to report the driver (5 percent)
About one in one hundred (1 percent) said that they actually slammed into the car in front of them, although not always intentionally. "One time someone plowed into me, so I plowed into the back of another car," said one respondent.
Other key findings of the study:
-- Younger drivers, and those who have the farthest commutes are most
likely to react to an aggressive or rude driver.
-- There is no real difference between men and women when it comes to road
rage.
-- Besides talking on the cell phone while driving, the one thing that
drivers in this survey were most likely to have done is drive too fast
(64 percent admit that they do this at least some of the time).
-- Tailgating. Drivers in Miami are most likely to see this behavior daily
(63 percent), while drivers in St. Louis are the least like to see this
(41 percent).
-- Slamming on the brakes. Drivers in Los Angeles (33 percent) and Miami
(33 percent) are most likely to witness this behavior daily, while
drivers in Minneapolis are least likely (14 percent).
-- Stealing parking spots. One-half (51 percent) witness this behavior
once in a while. Drivers in Miami (8 percent) are more likely to see
someone "stealing" their parking space than drivers in Dallas/Ft.
Worth, Washington/Baltimore and Cleveland.
-- Running red lights. One-fourth (24 percent) said they see drivers every
day who run through red lights.
-- Driving too fast. Drivers in Dallas/Ft. Worth (68 percent) are more
likely to see drivers driving too fast than those in Minneapolis (47
percent) and Cleveland (47 percent).
-- Talking on Cell Phone. Eighty percent say they see drivers every day
talking on their cell phone. A full 91 percent of Dallas/Ft. Worth
drivers said they see this behavior daily.
Overall, 30 percent said they see drivers doing other things like putting on makeup, shaving or reading while driving. Los Angeles (43 percent) emerged as the city where this is most likely to be seen, while Seattle (18 percent) emerged as the place where this behavior is least likely to happen.

What's the Story with Robert Horry?

The Phoenix Suns' 12-1 run to end Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals gave them a 104-98 victory Monday night that evened the series with the San Antonio Spurs. But, the big news of the evening was what Robert Horry did late in the fourth quarter.

As Steve Nash started to bring the ball up the court after Manu Ginobili missed the Spurs' fourth straight shot, San Antonio's Robert Horry hit him with a forearm that knocked him into the scorers' table and had players from both teams rushing to the scene.

Phoenix's Raja Bell tried to get at Horry, as did Nash after he jumped to his feet.

Horry was given a flagrant foul and was ejected. Bell was given a technical foul. A free throw by each team made it 101-98. The Suns kept possession and Nash added another free throw with 16 seconds to go.

The Suns, who trailed by as many as 11 points, had taken the lead for the first time in the second half on consecutive behind-the-back feeds from Steve Nash to Amare Stoudemire that made it 100-97 with 32 seconds to play.

"He just body-checked me out of bounds," Nash said. "I understand he's frustrated, it happens but he did body-check me."

Shawn Marion added two free throws with 7.4 seconds to go.

The cheap shot that Robert Horry laid on Steve Nash last night is a disgrace. Horry should be suspended for the rest of the playoffs.

It was a classless move intended to injure Nash.

There’s no other explanation for it. Horry was frustrated because his team blew the game, so he decided to level Nash as retribution. Whenever I see this type of goon mentality, it makes me ill, because it goes against everything that’s good and still unadulterated in sports – like sportsmanship and fair play. What kind of message does this send to kids who happened to be watching the game?

Shame on you, Robert Horry. As a veteran of the league, you should know better. You pulled a punk move and deserve whatever punishment the NBA decides to give you. If I were the Phoenix Suns, I’d be eagerly anticipating your return. I don’t condone violence in any way, but payback’s a bitch!

Whitney and Binny? Who Knew?

Bobby Brown’s drug-addled brain has finally short circuited. The R&B one-hit wonder claims that he’s on Osama bin Laden’s hit list. It turns out that the terrorist leader has his eye on Brown’s former wife, singer Whitney Houston.

“Bin Laden wanted to have me killed because he was in love with Whitney,” Brown claims on an upcoming ITV show, “24 Hours With Bobby Brown.” “Osama wanted to marry Whitney and make her one of his wives.”

“I feared for my life,” Brown said. “I’m still on my guard. The most wanted man in the world wants me dead.”

Brown has obviously completely lost it. Why would Bin Laden want all of the problems associated with Whitney, anyway? From what I’ve heard, he has enough problems getting his kids to obey him (They refuse to do their religious studies and drink Coca-Cola against his wishes.)

After researching this subject further, I realize that maybe Brown isn’t crazy. This article appeared on the Web site for the British newspaper, The Daily Mail:

“Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden is so obsessed with singer Whitney Houston he thought about killing her husband, Bobby Brown, it was claimed last night.

The suggestion is made by Sudanese poet and novelist Kola Boof, who claims she was bin Laden's sex slave for four months 10 years ago.

In her autobiography, Diary of a Lost Girl, she writes: "He told me Whitney Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen."

Boof, 37, who claims bin Laden raped her and held her prisoner in a Moroccan hotel, says he could not stop talking about the songbird, even though he disapproved of music.

"Osama kept coming back to Whitney Houston," she says in the book, excerpted in the magazine Harpers' Bazaar. "He asked if I knew her personally when I lived in America. I told him I didn't.
"

He said that he had a paramount desire for Whitney Houston, and although he claimed music was evil he spoke of someday spending vast amounts of money to go to America and try to arrange a meeting with the superstar.

"It didn't seem impossible to me. He said he wanted to give Whitney Houston a mansion that he owned in a suburb of Khartoum.

"He explained to me that to possess Whitney he would be willing to break his colour rule and make her one of his wives.

"Whitney Houston's name was the one that would be mention constantly.
"How beautiful she was, what a nice smile she has, how truly Islamic she is but is just brainwashed by American culture and by her husband Bobby Brown, whom Osama talked about having killed, as if it were normal to have women's husbands killed."

Boof, who once claimed she had to take her son out of a Los Angeles school after rumours surfaced that bin Laden was his father, also claims the Al Qaeda mastermind read more than the Koran.

"In his briefcase I would come across photographs of the Star magazine, as well as copies of Playboy," she writes.

She also says his favourite television shows were The Wonder Years, Miami Vice and MacGyver (Undoubtedly where Binny learned his bomb-making skills.)”

GW said WHAT??

Not since former Vice President Dan Quayle has a top politician made so many misstatements in this country. Yesterday GW Bush stuck his large foot in his bigger mouth when he said this about the Queen of England.

“Queen Elizabeth II helped the United States celebrate its bicentennial in 17, uh, I mean, 1976.”

This actually doesn’t seem so bad when compared to some of the other dumb things GW has said during his presidency. Here are some of my personal favorites:

“We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.”

When asked when a woman first starts to show her pregnancy, Bush replied, “Uh, I don’t know, August?”

“My (critics) misunderestimated me.”

“Fool me once – shame on, shame on you. Fool me twice – you can’t get fooled again.”

“The illiteracy level of or children are appalling. At least that’s what Dick said he read somewhere.”

“(Our enemies) never stop thinking of new ways to harm our country and our people. And neither do we.”

“Too many OB/GYN’s aren’t permitted to their love with women all over this country.”

“It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a good relationship.”

Old Yuppies Make Grateful Dead Auction Expensive

During their heyday, the Grateful Dead promised in their folksy lyrics to "steal your face right off your head."

Dedicated Deadheads probably lost their shirts and a lot more earlier this week in San Francisco when big bidders brought in more than $1.1 million during an auction of memorabilia collected by the group's longtime road manager, Lawrence “Ram Rod” Shurtliff.
Everything from guitars to ticket stubs kept by Lawrence "Ram Rod" Shurtliff during his decades-long stint coordinating the rock band's legendary touring operation were on the auction block.

Other items included drug syringes, groupie’s bras and panties, used patchouli oil, trampled concert blankets, hair clipped from Jerry Garcia’s beard, Bob Weir’s stool samples, Pigpen’s dandruff, Mickey Hart’s toenail clippings and Bill Kreutzmann’s very first toupee.

"He just really loved the band and he didn't want to see any of their equipment or stuff thrown away," said Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment memorabilia for Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers, which was staging the sale in San Francisco. "He didn't want their legacy to go away."

“People who want to bid on these items better bring money. Some Deadheads have said that they want to trade beads, used roaches and happy thoughts for items. Don’t even try that crap.”
Auctioneers predicted that doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs - many of whom wore flowers in their hair to the Dead's early shows - would gladly pay a premium for ordinary items touched by band members, including Jerry Garcia, a founding member who served as lead guitarist and vocalist. Now that these people have sold out to the man, they want to re-capture their pasts.
The auction house expected a 1975 cream-colored electric guitar played by Garcia during some of the Dead's most famous shows to bring between $250,000 and $300,000.

Deadheads bidding by phone and in the crowded auction room bid up prices for band photos, original album artwork, guitars and other musical gear collected by Shurtcliff over decades.

A leather guitar strap worn by Garcia on stage around 1973 sold for $20,400 – four times the estimated selling price. A flight case containing Garcia’s picks, unopened guitar strings and other accessories sold for $16,800.

Entertainment's Capitol is New York, New York!

If you’re headed to New York City this summer (and it seems like half the U.S. population is) you should hire a new york ticket broker to help you get good prices on tickets. There is so much going on in NYC all the time when it comes to concerts, sports and live performances. Las Vegas is small-time compared to all of the amazing things that are happening every single day in the Big Apple. It really is the entertainment capitol of the world. Check out some of these upcoming events. Concerts: Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Joey Ramone’s Birthday Party Bash, Linkin Park, Arctic Monkeys, Elvis Costello, Steely Dan, Godsmack and Velvet Revolver. Sports: The Yankees, Mets, boxing, soccer, wrestling, U.S. Open tennis and Monster Trucks. Shows: Jersey Boys, Phantom of the Opera, The Color Purple, Wicked, Turandot, A Chorus line, Inherit the Wind, Hairspray, Les Miserables, The Lion King, Legally Blonde, Rent, Beauty and the Beast, Stomp and the Blue Man Group.

What's Your Wellsphere?

There’s a new SF-based Web site called Wellsphere and it sounds like a really exciting idea. Basically, it’s a site where people can go and share ideas, advice and experiences about healthy living.

First, you sign up and join the Wellsphere community, and then you can explore other members’ wellspheres, finding people with similar interests and goals.

Personally, I fell instantly in love with this site, because over the past eight months, I have seen the importance of living a healthy life. For almost 30 years, I smoked tobacco, drank copious amounts of alcohol, ate fast food and sat in front of the TV every night and all weekend. As a result, I now have a whole slew of physical ailments, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholestrol. Not to mention the aches and pains I experience every day with a bad knee and shoulder.

But, I'm happy to say that I am on my way back. I weigh less now than I have in 15 years and I'm eating the right things (No more Big Macs) and I'm working out with a personal trainer. I feel so much better and my life has improved dramatically. I'm kicking myself for not starting sooner, but you can't re-capture time or change the past, so what the hell?

That's why I am so happy I found Wellsphere. I am new to the concept but I think I get the general idea. It's a networking/educational site on how to get healthy and maintain good health.

Maybe you’re into hiking and you’re looking for better trails or groups to hike with. You can find them on Wellsphere. Maybe you’ve been thinking about trying yoga or pilates and you want to find the best places to do them. Wellsphere is the perfect place to meet people who are into yoga and pilates and who have been doing them for a long time.

Anything that has to do with healthy living – from biking, kickboxing, dance, meditation, tennis, diet, surfing, stretching, or just plain moving – Wellsphere puts you in contact with experts, hobbyists and enthusiasts and allows you to tap into their expertise and knowledge. The Wellsphere people really care about your wellness and want people to live healthier lives – to eat better and exercise more.

What’s your definition of wellness? Whatever is it, you’ll find limitless ways to get there on www.wellsphere.com!

Cafe Gratitude: Joining The Grateful Fed

With two cafes in San Francisco, one in Berkeley, and with their newest location in San Rafael, Café Gratitude has gained a much-deserved reputation in the alternative culinary community for its inspiring environment and distinctive, flavorful organic foods.
To find out what Café Gratitude is all about, all you need to do is check out their mission statement:
“Cafe Gratitude is our expression of a World of Plenty. Our food and people are a celebration of our aliveness. We select the finest organic ingredients to honor the earth and ourselves, as we are one and the same. We support local farmers, sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly products. Our food is prepared with love. We invite you to step inside and enjoy being someone who chooses; loving your life, adoring yourself, accepting the world, being generous and grateful everyday, and experiencing being provided for. Have fun and enjoy nourishing yourself.”
This amazing place is not just about putting food and drink into your stomach and then paying the bill. It’s about the entire experience – nourishing the heart, mind and soul. They want you to leave there feeling better about every aspect of your life.
I must admit that I was skeptical when I went to Café Gratitude. I am a steak and chops kind of guy. But, I was really surprised when I found myself really liking it.
When you walk through the door, this sign greets you:
Welcome to Cafe Gratitude serving all organic, vegan and mostly live foods! Come play the Abounding River Game and experience an unfamiliar view of BEING ABUNDANCE!
Café Gratitude does not serve anything with a face, or anything that comes from something with a face. This includes eggs, honey, milk or cheese. It also serves live food, which means nothing is nuked or charred there. Most of the food is cold, room temperature or slightly undercooked to keep the cells within the food alive.
When I went to the Haight-Ashbury location yesterday for lunch, I was expecting a bunch of hippies chanting mantras and smelling of patchouli oil. Not even close. Café Gratitude is a great place, with wonderful food, a relaxed, totally laid back attitude and people who will make you feel at home almost immediately. We were only there for about two hours, but when we left, you would have thought we’d known each other all our lives. If felt the same pangs of guilt I feel when I leave a rocking party early. I really didn’t want to go!
One of the coolest things about the place is the way you order your food. Every item on the menu is an affirmation. For instance, the almond milk is called “I am Youthful.” When you order it by name, the wait staff replies, “You are Youthful.” At first, it seemed kind of strange, but after awhile I got into it. When the food came promptly, I was happy, because “I was Hungry.”
The menu at Café Gratitude is extensive, featuring a wide range of over 100 items, including soups, salads, appetizers, smoothies, teas, fresh juices, elixirs, shakes, organic sparkling and white wines, beer, sake and cider, organic coffee, organic ice cream, live pizzas and assorted desserts.
Some of the things we tried at Café Gratitude were:
The “I am Warm” Soup: A Faux Pho miso soup. This is a warm miso with spiralized vegetable noodles, shiitake mushrooms, scallions and sprouts in a big bowl ($9.00).
The “I am Thankful” Soup: This is Thai coconut curry soup with avocado, tomato, cucumbers and shiitake mushrooms ($7.00).
The “I am Fabulous” Live Pizza: A living, breathing pizza with lasagna-zucchini noodles layered with cashew ricotta cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil, pesto and marinara sauce ($12).
The “I am Festive” Taco Salad. A flavorful salad with shredded romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy dressing topped with crumbled walnut-seed taco filling, guacamole, salsa, nacho cheese and green sprouts topped with flax seeds ($12.00).
To complete the experience, we had the “I am Praising” dessert – a dish of Café Gratitude’s vanilla soft serve ice cream. It was less heavy than your standard ice cream, because, of course, it contained no dairy.
On the way out we picked up a copy of I Am Grateful, a book written by Café Gratitude’s co-founders Terces and Matthew Engelhart. It presents their view of life and their business philosophy. In the book, Terces also relates her own story of personal healing, sharing highlights of her recovery from food addiction while explaining the benefits of an organic lifestyle. The book’s incredible full-color photographs accompany easy-to-follow recipes for the café’s most popular items, making it easy for readers to prepare live foods at home.
Recipes include café favorites for satisfying smoothies such as the "I am Luscious" raw chocolate variety, as well as juices, soups, and appetizers. There's also entrancing entrees like the "I am Elated" spicy rolled enchiladas and delicious desserts including the "I am Amazing" lemon meringue pie with macadamia nut crust.
Café Gratitude has four locations. To find the one nearest you, visit their Web site at: http://www.cafegratitude.com/. It’s an experience that will leave you feeling healthy, happy and qualify you as a member of the Grateful Fed.